Researchers coming from the John Hopkins University and other places have successfully completed a groundbreaking surgery where a robot was able to successfully operate on a pig without any help from humans.
Robot Surgeons 'Do the Job Better' Compared to Human Surgeons
According to the story by Gizmodo, what is really interesting is that, compared to human surgeons, the robot reportedly appeared to "do the job better." The use of robots is not really uncommon, but most of the time, these robots are still controlled by a human surgeon. An example of this is the Da Vinci system.
STAR, otherwise known as the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot system, is said to be unlike other robots and was developed by Alex Krieger and his colleagues.
John Hopkins University gave a statement to Gizmodo via email stating that STAR is the "first robotic system to plan, adapt, and execute a surgical plan in soft tissue" without the need of human intervention.
What is STAR and What are They Trying to Accomplish?
Krieger and his team have spent years trying to demonstrate that STAR is capable of performing important surgical tasks with just some human involvement.
The researchers presented data that shows STAR is capable of performing "a complex soft tissue surgery in pigs laparoscopically" with just small incisions. Their latest research was published on Science Robotics.
How Does a Small Intestine Anastomosis Work?
Small intestine anastomosis is the name of the procedure done by the robot surgeon, which requires those conducting the operation to reconnect the ends of an intestine. The procedure is quite useful as it could happen when there is a tumor that needs to be removed, for example.
STAR operated on four different pigs and succeeded in all operations. According to the team, STAR's suturing and stitches looked to be more accurate as well as consistent in comparison to data that was obtained from operations on human-performed operations.
'No Leaks Detected in the Operated-on Pigs' from the Robot Surgery
The article by Gizmodo has even noted that there were "no leaks detected in the operated-on pigs." STAR and other similar robots, per Gizmodo, are seen to continue playing assistant for professional human surgeons instead of radically taking over surgeries.
Instead of the technology being threatening, it would help make surgeries safer moving forward since surgeons will be able to better "standardize tricky operations like an anastomosis." The report notes that, according to Krieger, anastomosis is performed in the US about a million times every year.
STAR's Role in the Future of Operations
Krieger and his team say that they are also hoping that systems just like STAR can play a part in revolutionizing other tissue procedures.
The team also hopes that in the coming years, patients outside of a normal hospital setting will be able to receive help from autonomous robot surgery systems. This hoped for most especially during trauma situations that need to be dealt with right away as the person heads to the hospital.
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Written by Urian B.
